Once Upon A New Years Eve
by damselindistress2
Summary: -repost- AU After all those years of being with him, Misao definitely picked up on a few things. Shinomori Aoshi would not be found if he didn't wish to be....


A/N: I'm back! I know I haven't updated any of my other fics and I'm really sorry. To those who have read this story before, I hated how I wrote it so I decided to make a few changes here and there. The plot is pretty much the same but I still hope those who have read it before to read it again. And of course also those who haven't! I know it's not new years anymore but I just wanted to get this out. Anyways, enjoy! (hopefully)

Disclaimer: Did I ever tell you I suffer from an inferiority complex? Since I do, I don't find it possible that I would be capable of creating such an amazing anime series. I'd probably die from shock....heh...

* * *

It was strange really.....how we ended up like this. I thought that my life was perfect, having everything I ever wished for. Family, friends, love, happiness.....and you. Funny how something as little as this could tear us apart after our 4 years of being together.

How foolish of me.

I thought I knew you, everything you liked and disliked, all your good and bad habits, but then you suddenly throw an unexpected curve ball at me and I would have to start from scratch all over again.

You are a stranger to me.

Come to think of it.....I guess I never really knew you did I? You puzzle me dear. You were and still are the most mysterious man I have ever known. Maybe that's why I was instantly drawn to you. Those incredibly enchanting ice blue eyes seemed to have called to me ever since the first time we laid eyes on each other. I had the urge of wanting to find out the man behind that icy demeanor, the mystery called Shinomori Aoshi. Right when I thought I got you figured out, you decide to run away. Leaving me behind without a trace that you had ever existed before. Tell me Aoshi.....tell me how you could so easily walk out the door, leaving 4 years of your life behind like it was never there? And you could even be as cruel as to take everything with you.....even the most important possession I had......how could you take even my heart away with you...

* * *

"Misao-chan......wake up....wake.....up Misao-chan!"

Eyes twitching, and fists clenching, Omasu ripped the blankets away from the slumbering woman's body, exposing her skin to the cool touches of winter. Releasing a small shiver, Misao cracked her right eye open, cringing at the sudden exposure to bright light. She never was such a late sleeper really. Every morning she would wake up at the crack of dawn, eager to get to the days' activities in hopes of seeing _him_. But after he left, everything changed and Misao had no one or any other purpose to wake up to. All genkiness was lost from inside her and so for the past 2 years after his sudden disappearance, Makimachi Misao was nothing but a mere shell of her former self. It pained everyone, including herself, to see how much that one man affected her.

It was pitiful.

In the beginning, Misao still held onto the fragile string of hope to one day pass by the park where they had first met and see him standing right there, below the tree where they had met for the first time. But after many days, weeks, months, and even years of waiting, that fragile hope was crushed completely and had vanished into thin air.

The string had snapped and Misao had nothing left to hold onto except to fall.

Every time Misao were to pass that tree when going and coming back from work, she never dared look there anymore, not even sparing it a glance. Sometimes she would even make the extra effort of going the long way home to avoid passing the park. It had been that way for the past year and she would always tell herself that it would be foolish to even glance at it ever again. For Makimachi Misao had given up.

"Omasu......you do know that you are lucky to be my older sister...because if you were anyone else... I doubt you'll be able to step out of this door alive."

And with that settled, Misao slowly rose from her bed and blindly crawled towards the bathroom as Omasu gave an indignant scoff before walking out the door leaving behind a snide comment in her path.

"_Funny_ how _intimidating _you can be sometimes imoto-chan!"

Misao rolled her eyes and still wondered how her sister could be so energetic at 7 in the morning. But then again, she had things to look forward to, more specifically, a certain _someone_ she could see every day. Splashing her face with cold water, Misao stared at her reflection in the mirror, scowling seconds later at her horrid state.

Pathetic.

It was such a tempting idea to punch the annoying mirror standing before her; to shatter the ugly image of her own _weak_ self. She was appalled by how much his disappearance affected her. But then again, looking at her reflection for the second time, a bitter thought resurfaced from the back of her mind.

'Of course he left me.....I'm nothing but a plain, ordinary annoying _girl_ pining after his affections. Not beautiful at all.'

With hands clenching the edge of the sink, her knuckles began to turn white as she struggled to control her breathing again, having been taken over by her emotions. Heaving a sigh that clearly showed her weariness, Misao went to get ready for work as the thought caused a constant stabbing pain in the already empty hole in her chest, where her heart use to be.

* * *

Letting out the breath of air that she didn't even know she held, Misao sat down in her soft, leather chair, quickly getting to work on scanning the files upon her desk with an air of dread hanging about her of the days work ahead. Checking the calendar on what meetings she had today, her eyes stopped short when she noticed what the date was, December 31st. It was New Years once again and another year had passed without _him_ ever showing up. Shaking her head rapidly as if to shake the thought out of her head, Misao cursed at herself for being weak again. However, she still couldn't help the feeling that she had of him leaving for a good reason, not being able to get mad at him. She knew there was a reason behind all his actions, though she doubted herself at times. It was something that Misao had simply learned along the way over the 4 years of knowing the man.

Seeing that she had nothing to do after work, Misao decided to go to Time Square to watch the ball drop. Though the thought of entering another new year was disheartening, Misao felt less lonely among the crowd of people counting down along side everyone else. With that thought in mind, Misao proceeded with the day's work she had cut out for her.

* * *

The cool night air caused Misao's cheeks to flush as an involuntary shiver broke free and ran down her spine. Clutching her purse tighter to keep warm, Misao sped off towards the subway station to Time Square, planning on eating and then go find a nice place to stand with a good view of the ball dropping. With that decision made, Misao swiftly made her way inside the closing doors of the subway.

After about half an hour later, Misao had seated herself at a nice restaurant glancing through the menu. Misao had wanted to call Omasu and ask if she wanted to join her for this "new years" dinner but decided against it. Being the nice imoto-chan that she is, Misao opted to spend it alone, leaving the two lovebirds known as Omasu and Hiko to spend it with each other. It wouldn't be good to stand out like a light bulb between the two of them on such a day and occasion. With a smile plastered on her face, Misao ordered her dinner and waited patiently as she busied herself by looking out the window at the bustling city.

It was about 9 by the time she finished her dinner, even if she took her merry time. Heaving an exasperated sigh, Misao grabbed her coat and headed down the stairs and out the door after placing a 5-dollar tip upon the table. Since she had so much time to spare, Misao knew she was in for a long walk around the city before midnight rolled around.

As Misao strolled along the busy sidewalks window-shopping, the same feeling of loneliness and sadness overwhelmed her as always when she wasn't doing something that required her full attention. Memories of the New Years that she had spent with him in the past brought along the same familiar stab of pain to her chest. But once again, she was spending another New Year alone.

After walking for what seemed like forever to Misao, she opted to sit against the railing of a nearby store. Once again a jumble of thoughts and emotions plagued her mind as the clock ticked on. Lost in her thoughts, Misao didn't notice anything around her as her eyes glazed over. That was, until someone had accidentally knocked into her when walking by. Quickly apologizing in a careless, nonchalant manner, the man scurried off along his way. Snapping out of her reverie, Misao dusted herself off before glancing at her watch, 11:30. Eyes widening to the size of saucers, Misao sped off in the direction of where the countdown were to take place. Cursing inwardly at her own negligence, Misao doubted that she would get a good spot to see everything happen, and her height was certainly a disadvantage.

It wasn't long before Misao was met with a big problem. A couple more steps and she would be completely swallowed by the massive crowd that was not even that near to where the magnificent ball stood, high above them all. Misao had to strain her neck in order to see and she was fast becoming squished as more and more people crowded behind her, successfully trapping her in. Glancing at her watch yet again, Misao noted that there was only about 5 more minutes before the countdown would start. The crowd was getting excited and many laughter and cheers could be heard everywhere. Suddenly, a weird feeling started to spread inside her like the tingly feeling one gets when their instincts kick in. Misao felt the familiar presence of someone, a _certain someone_. Unconsciously, her heart started to beat faster as she looked around frantically, dreading, yet somewhere in the back of her mind, hoping that it would be _him_. It was then that time seemed to have frozen. Amidst all the loud cheering and thousands of people, everything disappeared and the laughter became soft whispers in the back of her mind. Nothing else existed except herself and the image before her. Catching a quick glimpse of icy blue eyes and ink black hair, Misao knew for sure that it had to be _him_. True that there could be many people with the same eyes and black hair, but the feeling she had when she looked into those eyes could not be mistaken. It might seem like a shallow and trivial reason, but Misao was sure, more positive about herself than ever before.

It was Shinomori Aoshi.

The count down had begun as Misao frantically pushed against the excited crowd, her heart beating so loud she could hear it herself, thumping against her eardrums.

"TEN!"

His name died away upon her lips, having been drowned out by the loud cheering as she shoved past more people, chasing after him.

"NINE!"

Misao was puzzled as to why Aoshi had appeared again only to run away from her.

"EIGHT!"

A flood of emotions began to overwhelm her as she continued to call out his name to deaf ears.

"SEVEN!"

Sadness, confusion, anxiousness, fear, hope, doubt, and love all rushed through her being, causing her mind to swirl as she felt herself becoming more frantic, trying to close the distance between them.

"SIX"

After all these years of waiting and the lost hope, she finally has a second chance of seeing him again. She'd be damned if she let him walk out of her life for the second time.

"FIVE!"

Misao began to move faster and shove harder as she began to lose sight of him amongst the crowd. Panic had overtaken her but she felt a sudden burst of hope course through her veins.

"FOUR!"

She knew that everything happens for a reason and Misao had definitely picked up some things about Aoshi from the years of being with him, among many other things.

"THREE!"

Shinomori Aoshi would not be found if he didn't want to be.

"TWO!"

She had given up on waiting and so her hope vanished into thin air, as she knew her heart would never be given back to her. But now, with each step she took, she became closer and closer to the man she had loved since she first laid eyes on him. Stretching her arm out, Misao clasped her hand around his wrist as all her feelings flooded her senses, almost causing her tears.

"ONE!"

I guess even though I told myself to give up, my hope still always remained cause I knew that he would someday come back to me, for everything he does always has a reason. Makimachi Misao's hope was back, along with the heart that the man in front of her still holds.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!"

Owari

A/N: So how was it? Better or worse (to those who have read the first one)? I personally absolutely hated the original one I wrote so I hope this one is a little bit better. Please do leave a review to let me know what you think. Your opinion matters to me. Thank you for reading


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